Chapter 874 - 874: Burying the Ashes
In Shenchuan City, after having dinner with Zhao Chengshuang and the others, Ye Qing left with the King of Explosives.
With the King of Explosives there, he could tell at a glance if there were any bombs installed in the car. Thus, Ye Qing did not bother to have someone particularly watch his car.
However, that mercenary squad hadn't shown any activity throughout the day, and everything remained calm. Ye Qing drove out of the hotel's vicinity and was just about to turn around to head home when he saw Ke Ren standing by the street, hailing a cab from afar.
Ye Qing drove over and curiously glanced at Ke Ren, saying, "Miss Ou, why are you here all by yourself?"
"Ye, what brings you here?" Seeing Ye Qing, Ke Ren also brightened up.
"Just had dinner nearby. What are you up to?" Seeing Ke Ren holding that large box, Ye Qingqi asked, "This… isn't this the ashes of your grandfather's comrades-in-arms? You're..."
"Yes," Ou said. "When I came over, my grandfather told me to bury the ashes of his old comrades in a place called Lion Hill. I thought I would be busy tomorrow, so I wanted to get it done today."
"I see," Ye Qing nodded and said, "Lion Hill? Isn't that in the Southern Suburb? Have you been there?"
"I've never been there, which is why it's a bit troublesome," Ke Ren shrugged and said, "But if I take a cab, there shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"What do you need a cab for? I'll take you there!" Ye Qing insisted.
The King of Explosives looked at Ye Qing, seemingly wanting to stop him, but in the end, he didn't say anything.
Ye Qing knew what the King of Explosives was thinking. The members of that mercenary squad might be lurking in the darkness, wanting to kill him. It was actually safest to be in the city at this time. Heading to the outskirts was a bit more dangerous, especially to remote places like Lion Hill. However, Ye Qing wasn't worried about these concerns. He wasn't afraid of those mercenaries; he was more vigilant about Wang Tian'an and his group. Besides, the Southern Suburb was where sects like Snake Form Gate and six others, as well as the orphanage, were located. This was where Ye Qing's influence was relatively concentrated, also the middle ground where Chen San and Wang Tian'an were at a standoff. Going to the Southern Suburb wasn't that dangerous, and if Wang Tian'an made a move, Chen San would definitely send people to help immediately. Moreover, those sects under Snake Form Gate would certainly not stand idly by. After all, the children and nephews of those Elder-level figures were now working for Ye Qing.
"This… wouldn't it be inconvenient?" Ke Ren hesitated, speaking softly, "Ye, recently you've been quite busy..."
"No matter how busy, I have to help you with your matters!" Ye Qing said, getting out of the car directly and moving Ke Ren's luggage into the car.
Seeing Ye Qing like this, Ke Ren couldn't refuse, although in her heart she felt even more joy. She got into the car with Ye Qing and repeated the exact address her grandfather had given her.
Ye Qing often went to the Southern Suburb, after all, that's where the orphanage was. So he was quite familiar with this address, but indeed, the area was very desolate. When Ye Qing drove out of the city area and arrived near Lion Hill, it was almost 10 p.m.
"Oh my, why is it so desolate here?" Ke Ren didn't know the situation here at all, and looking at the desolation below, she expressed her surprise, "Isn't there a village here? Why isn't anyone living here?"
Ye Qing said, "This village is quite remote, with poor transportation and inconvenient in all aspects. Over the years, most of the villagers have moved away, and no one lives here now."
Looking at the dark houses all around, Ke Ren couldn't help feeling a bit scared, saying, "Ye, I'm lucky you came with me. Otherwise, coming here alone at night would have been quite frightening."
The remote location was indeed quiet on a late night; it was normal for a young girl to feel scared coming here alone after dark.
Ye Qing smiled, as he didn't even know the place had become so desolate. Without any hesitation, he helped Ke Ren find the spot mentioned by her grandfather. He took a shovel, dug a hole, and buried all the urns inside.
Ke Ren knelt several times in paying respect, and then took out her phone to call her grandfather, telling him that he didn't need to worry about this matter anymore. Afterward, she returned to the car with Ye Qing.
The King of Explosives had been standing by the car all along. He didn't go over to help but was instead keeping watch here, guarding against an attack from the mercenary corps.
However, it seemed like the mercenaries didn't follow them. After everything was sorted out, the three of them drove back and didn't notice any disturbances.
On the other side, at Wang Tian'an's place, Wang Tian'an and his Junior Brother were sitting in the living room, with Wang Tian'an feeling extremely anxious. Two people infected with the Heart-devouring Bug had already started to suffer from its effects on his side, and without the special food required by the Heart-devouring Bug, he had no way to control them. One person had already died in agony. Although another person was still alive, their piercing screams had all the others, who also harbored the Heart-devouring Bug inside them, shaking in fear. Many began to doubt Wang Tian'an—if he didn't have the food for the Heart-devouring Bug, it was likely that everyone would end up like those two, suffering from an unstoppable onset. Under such circumstances, who would remain under Wang Tian'an's control?
"Junior Brother, when can the food for the Master's Heart-devouring Bug be delivered?" Wang Tian'an anxiously looked at his Junior Brother and said: "If it doesn't come soon, I won't be able to control these people anymore. By then, I guess we'll implode from within even before Chen San attacks us. I'm currently suppressing this matter, but if the Chen Family finds out, they would probably have already ambushed us by now."
"Third Senior Brother, I'm even more anxious than you are," the Junior Brother replied with a helpless shrug, "The Master said that as soon as the medicine arrives, he will immediately call to inform us. But the Master hasn't called yet, so what can I do? Third Senior Brother, don't be so restless. The Master is sure to have his plans!"
"I know the Master must have his own thoughts, but we really don't have much time left," Wang Tian'an said, sweating profusely. If these people lost control, he speculated that he would probably be the first one to die.
"How about I…" the Junior Brother was just about to speak when suddenly the cell phone on the table rang.
The Junior Brother picked up the phone, his expression changed instantly, and he said urgently, "It's the Master!"
"The Master!?" Wang Tian'an said with great joy, "It must be the food for the Heart-devouring Bug that has arrived, right? Quick, pick it up!"
The Junior Brother did not delay and immediately answered the phone. Wang Tian'an looked at him anxiously, trying to determine from his conversation whether the food for the Heart-devouring Bug had arrived.
Just as Wang Tian'an had expected, the Junior Brother hung up and said excitedly, "Third Senior Brother, the food for the Heart-devouring Bug has arrived!"
"I'll send someone to get it now!" Wang Tian'an said excitedly.
"That won't work!" The Junior Brother quickly shook his head and said, "Right now, your place is being closely watched by Chen San's men; you can't let our own people go and retrieve it. If it gets intercepted, that would be troublesome. The Master has other people planted in Shenchuan City, and he's already instructed them to collect the item. They will soon deliver the food for the Heart-devouring Bug."
"I see," Wang Tian'an said, somewhat surprised. If Ning Qianshu had already arranged everything, then why did he bother to make the call?
"The Master also mentioned something else…" The Junior Brother looked at Wang Tian'an and said in a grave tone: "Ye is currently at Lion Hill with a female police officer from Xiangjiang, and they have hardly anyone with them. The Master wants us to seize the opportunity and kill Ye!"
"Lion Hill?" Wang Tian'an frowned slightly and said, "That's Ye Qing's territory. If I send people over now, Chen San would certainly find out about it. If we don't manage to kill Ye Qing and even lose some men in the process, that wouldn't be suitable, right?"
"Not your men!" The Junior Brother smiled and said, "I'll call the Mercenary Corps right now to assassinate Ye Qing!"
"That's the best!" Wang Tian'an was overjoyed, "With a small team of mercenaries, as long as they set up a good ambush, Ye is as good as dead tonight!"
"Of course!" The Junior Brother nodded, paused, and then said, "Actually, the best method would be to plant a bomb on the road and blow Ye up directly. But the Master commanded that there's a female police officer from Xiangjiang in the car who must not be killed, so this is a bit more troublesome!"
"Why shouldn't that female police officer be killed?" Wang Tian'an wondered.
"I don't know either, it's the Master's order!" The Junior Brother shrugged, seeing the puzzled look on Wang Tian'an's face, and said, "Don't speculate wildly. The Master always has his reasons. Actually, it's for the best not to kill the female police officer from Xiangjiang. If she dies, it could blow up the situation, and it might even draw the attention of the Capital. There's no benefit in that for us. The Master probably doesn't want to make too big a deal out of it by forbidding us to kill her!"
Wang Tian'an nodded, feeling somewhat reassured by the Junior Brother's explanation, and said, "In that case, just get the mercenaries to ambush and kill Ye, and make sure he doesn't escape!"
"Definitely!" The Junior Brother said with a cold smile, picked up the cell phone, and delegated the task to the Mercenary Corps. Of course, he specifically instructed them that under no circumstances were they to kill Ou Keren. After all, this was a matter entrusted by Ning Qianshu, and he dared not make any mistakes. If his blunder messed up Ning Qianshu's plans, then he would surely be dead.
"Done!" After hanging up the phone, the Junior Brother's smirk grew even colder as he looked at Wang Tian'an and said, "The mercenaries have already set off. With such a group of armed mercenaries, hmph, even if Ye had nine lives like a cat, he's definitely a goner tonight!"
Wang Tian'an, however, was not as confident as his Junior Brother, for he had suffered too many losses at the hands of Ye Qing before.